The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization, called on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to take appropriate action to halt the spread of chronic wasting disease following a confirmed infection in a captive deer farm in the state.
"The Humane Society of the United States urges the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to permanently prohibit the import and transport of captive deer, elk and moose and begin to phase-out game farms and captive shooting ranches immediately," said Howard Goldman, central states regional director for The HSUS. "Chronic wasting disease threatens both wild and captive populations, and regulations are needed to halt a potential wildlife disease catastrophe in the state."
CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy affecting deer, elk and moose. Like mad cow disease, CWD attacks the nervous system and brain of the infected animal and progresses with symptoms including reduced eating, repetitive walking patterns, possible blindness, head tremors, loss of coordination and death.
Although the state's prohibition on deer baiting or feeding throughout the Lower Peninsula is an important first step in halting the spread of CWD, it does not go far enough. Game farms
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